Dancing with the Stars has had a confusing season. Christina Milian, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Brant Daugherty were the last three stars eliminated, despite the fact that none of them were in the bottom two on the leaderboard. Obviously viewer votes matter a lot more than judges’ scores.
But for Brant’s elimination last week, I still blame the judges. They are being way too generous with the scores, exhibited best by Bill Engvall getting a 24 for his horrendous Disco routine. Then Leah Remini’s shameless sucking up to guest judge Cher worked as she unfairly won her dance-off against Brant.
This week I have no idea who will go home, as anyone is clearly vulnerable. But each of the Top 6 will have to dance twice, once with their partner and once in a trio with a member of the dance troupe or an eliminated pro. Here’s what’s on tap for week 9. First, the individual dances.:
Elizabeth Berkley and Val Chmerkovskiy: Viennese Waltz
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke: Viennese Waltz
Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff: Waltz
Amber Riley and Derek Hough: Quickstep
Bill Engvall and Emma Slater: Charleston
Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani: Argentine Tango
Now, the trio dances:
Elizabeth and Val with Gleb Savchenko: Salsa
Jack and Cheryl with Sharna Burgess: Samba
Corbin and Karina with Witney Carson: Jazz
Amber and Derek with Mark Ballas: Salsa
Bill and Emma with Peta Murgatroyd: Salsa
Leah and Tony with Henry Byalikov: Jive
It’s safe to assume Amber is gonna get lost as the combined mugging of Derek and Mark takes over that routine. But here are my predictions for who will go home this week.
Bill Engvall and Emma Slater
How many times can they avoid the executioner’s sword? They’ve had the lowest scores for the past three weeks and remain the only couple who haven’t even received a 9 from the judges. I’m hoping the fact that they were declared safe right away last week will strip away some of their votes as they weren’t the last couple announced safe like in previous weeks.
Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani
After Bill, she has the lowest scores of the season and is the only other dancer who has not received a 10. Also, without Cher around, Leah will have to rely on her dance skills and not her ability to play the “women power” card.
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke
I can’t in good conscience pick Elizabeth, Corbin or Amber in my bottom three, so that leaves Jack. I’ve been predicting him for a while and every time he proves me wrong by getting big scores from the judges. Last week, with the dance-off points, he was actually tied at the top of the leaderboard. Still, maybe his voters will feel he’s safe and not vote as strongly.
My Prediction
I’m going to throw away logic and reason and predict Leah and Tony will be eliminated. Why? Well, I’m basing it on their individual dance from last week. When Snooki went home, the week before she danced to “Build Me Up Buttercup.” The week before Brant was eliminated, he did his ice cream dance. Those were both cheery, ’60s-style dances. My theory is that people find those boring and don’t vote for them, and Leah’s diner dance to “I Got You Babe” best fits that pattern.
Of course, at this point, anything is possible. But I’m convinced Amber will stick around because of Derek and Corbin seems like the guy who will pick up the most votes from Brant’s fans. And despite an off week, I still believe this is Elizabeth and Val’s season to win. But we’ll have to wait to find out Monday at 8pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
